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underdeveloped wings

Fairly new to all this but having good luck so far, two hives this season and good production. one had swarmed and requeened itself, the other a new (may) package that has filled a large super and is more than set for winter.
The problem is this...one hive has produced quite a few bees(100 or so that i've seen) with underdeveloped or missing wings....this is "so far" and i'm hoping it stops...any thought as to why? Can heat do this? Viral? thanks

Re: underdeveloped wings

Hello, your bees have deformed wing virus ...DWV, this is caused by too high of a mite load. This time of year is probably too late to do any treatments other than powder sugar dusting, because most are temperature dependant and there just isn't enough time and temp. left before winter...powder sugar the heck out of them and pray good luck

Re: underdeveloped wings

Agree, DWV. Mite loads too high and now they will more than likely not make it this winter. You will probably see alot more hatch out. These bees that are hatching now and for the last two weeks are your winter bees. They are the ones that will kick start your hive in spring. When they are weakened due to DWV or mites they usually start to die off in December to January. The damage is done. You might consider combining the healthy hive with this one. Shake the bees without the queen on the ground a ways away from the healthy hive and let the healthy bees find their way to the good hive. As for the capped brood, I would scrape those frames and get ready for next spring. The open larva and eggs, add to the healthy hive to shore them up. Sugar dust your healthy hive several times and as well, sugar dust the weakened hive the day before or several hours before you combine. It will dislodge several mites and you might transfer less to your healthy hive.

Re: underdeveloped wings

if you can get some formic pads soon, put them on, you may get enough warm temps this time of year for them to work where you are located but don't wait. mine are ready to come off, but a large beek south of me was up yesterday and he will be putting them on next week and has had success doing it. probable to late for apiguard. wouldn't merge the mites together.

mike syracuse ny
I went to bed mean, and woke up meaner. Marshal Dillon

Re: underdeveloped wings

Yes, it would be good to know which colony is afflicted. Also, if the colony makes it thru the winter, I'd consider requeening with a resistant strain of queen, so I wouldn't have to treat, or worry about mites or the DWV.
Regards,
Steven

"If all you have is a hammer, the whole world is a nail." - A.H. Maslow

Re: underdeveloped wings

I'm not sure yet...i'm hoping older as it is the weaker....hustling today to find #8 screen for bottom...any thought about relocating a frame or two of healthy brood to "sick colony" to help for wintering?

Re: underdeveloped wings

If it were me I would immediately treat both hives... so the mites won't travel between hives and if one is badly infected the odds are that both are. Also, the damaged one will collapse and it will be robbed out and the mites will spread. Personally I use a vaporizer with Oxalic acid. If I didn't have a vaporizer or access to one I would drench with Oxalic. Or else flash with formic acid. You have very little time and need to do this immediately for any chance to overwinter.

Re: underdeveloped wings

Originally Posted by jcdsgn

...any thought about relocating a frame or two of healthy brood to "sick colony" to help for wintering?

NOOOOO. This colony more than likely will not make the winter. Why weaken your good colony. That healthy colony needs that brood because those is the bees that will make it to the spring. By putting healthy bees into your sick hive you will ensure the quick death of both hives

Re: underdeveloped wings

Originally Posted by honeyshack

NOOOOO. This colony more than likely will not make the winter. Why weaken your good colony. That healthy colony needs that brood because those is the bees that will make it to the spring. By putting healthy bees into your sick hive you will ensure the quick death of both hives

Re: underdeveloped wings

put screen bb with oil pans under both hives year round you dont have to use by the temp`and you may want to dust with powdered sugar.I dont think the sugar hurts the bees like acid.I use oil pans on all of mine < 60 more or less> . I think the chem` and acids dont help the bees in the long run.good luck rock.

Re: underdeveloped wings

There are some other posts on this issue that IMO bear looking at. I'll play devils advocate here,,,,I'm no expert, I can only share my experience. Have you done a mite count?? It is my understanding that DFWV is a common affliction\virus that is exacerbated by varroa,,,not necessarily the cause. I have seen DFW on my bees,,,,self evicting and involuntary,,, my mite count was one. My hives are doing well and anticipate surviving the winter. No plan to treat. All I'm saying is,,,look at what you are doing and consider the options. My HO

Re: underdeveloped wings

Thank you Rick....my sentiments exactly. This is getting really old. Here all these people are telling JCDSGN that his hive is definitely severely infested with varroa and that it is almost certainly doomed!

What nonsense! Do some research about DWV before posting about it please!

Re: underdeveloped wings

jcdsgn,

Pretty much all the responses that you have received to your question about deformed wings on your bees have focused on treating them quickly with one method or another to reduce the mite load before winter. The majority of responses also offered a poor prognosis for their ability to make it through the winter, even with treatment.

I don't know how you feel about treating for mites, or if you are willing to let the bees deal with them without treatments of any kind, or not deal with them. I run all my bees totally treatment free in regards to mites, no chemicals, vapors, essential oils, sugar dusting, drone frames, screened bottom boards, or any other gadget or conconction I'm not familiar with. I let them draw natural comb in foundationless frames. I also do not use anything other than ordinary Italian stock. I think most of my hives that have been around for more than a couple years have mites to some degree, I don't do mite drop counts. I know that some even have DWV and have had it for over a couple years, with no observable impact on production or colony strength, that's a fact. I know some hives have DWV because occasionally I see a few bees crawling around in the grass in front of the hive. I inspect my hives frequently and spend alot of time in my bee yards studying individual hive activity at the entrances, and I have yet to actually see a bee with DWV in the hive or on the landing board, just in the grass.

Simply seeing bees with DWV around your hives in the grass does not, let me repeat, does not mean that those hives are going to collapse and not make the winter. If that was always true, I should have experienced massive losses by now, but that's not the case.

This is how I see it, treating does nothing to enable the honey bee to cope with mites on their own, period. Anything you do treatment-wise to remove a mite population from a hive has no long term benefit to getting a resistant bee stock developed. In order to get on the right path to a resistant stock, you have got to let the bees deal with mites on their own, some will and some won't. The ones that do you breed from, just like many are doing today.

So you have to decide if you want to contribute, whether you have one hive or a thousand, to getting off the treatment grind, and developing a truly resistant bee. The choice is yours right now. John

Re: underdeveloped wings

TREAT or Else?
Feel free to feed the mites if you think the world will be better off for doing so.?
Beware of well intended comments that will yield unintended results.
Just kill the suckers and give your girls a break, before its too late....IMO
I fed mites for several years, before the girls got my attention.

BM

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - JOHN F. KENNEDY -

Re: underdeveloped wings

Much appreciation for all the advice....here's an update....Friday morning-since it was raining i had to do a lot of prep just to get to the hive and figured, since I had no other option, sugaring was quickest....after that first dusting (Sat AM) there was a small amount of mite drop-off.....that eve (Fri eve after i dusted) I picked up some apigard from a local warehouse and applied that Saturday morning...which was sunny...Sunday morning was "oh-my-god-look-at-all-those-mites!" day...HUGE drop off...now its wait and see...
thanks again to all!